Bittersweet
by Poisoned-Grace
Summary: A short story on the relationship between Rui & Ichiko


Ichiko hated this man _**so**_ much! She wasn't too fond of the Heavenly Beings to begin with, but Rui just tipped her over the edge. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She only hated him because she felt like a giddy little schoolgirl whenever he was near. That tom-boy vibe she always gave off completely vanished, even if he just simply glanced in her direction and it scared her.

They had been in an intense glaring contest for at least 20 minutes now, and it was over something so _**stupid**_! He had commented, that for someone who hated being up in the Heavens as much as she did, she visited quite a lot. Although the fact was true, Ichiko was furious that he had not only just tried to say she wasn't welcome in the Heavens, but also that the stupid fool hadn't realised _**he**_ was one of the reasons she kept coming back.

Without her noticing, during their little contest they had unintentionally moved closer to each other and she could almost feel his breathe on her face. The smell of the sea and the air filled her nostrils and she almost lost herself in him. A faint blush spread over her cheeks, so she turned away from his narrowed eyes and tried desperately to look annoyed and let a small huff escape her lips. As the blush faded, all anger washed away, being replaced by sorrow as she realised how hurt his comment had actually made her.

Turning to him once again, she decided she wanted an explanation for him disliking her being in his presence.

"If you don't like me being here, you should have just asked me to leave."

Rui stood back slightly and made a 'tsk' sound as he looked away from her. Ichiko looked him over quickly and almost audibly sighed at him majestic form. He stood so tall and proud, almost protective, as his sky blue hair was tousled about in the wind. The way his eyes looked as if they could see out for miles, searching endlessly for nothing, and the pointedness of his ears made it almost hard to believe he was even real. He was like something from a fairytale!

She broke out of her reverie as she heard him sigh in frustration and shot a hard glare in her direction before answering,

"I do not wish you to leave. I was merely curious of your reason for returning time and again."

Ichiko blinked, her heart almost stopping as she processed each of his words slowly in her mind. He wanted her to stay?

"What do you mean?" She felt so stupid asking a question like that, but after she had spoken the words, she couldn't take it back.

Flustered, Rui looked away swiftly, trying to keep some of his dignity and opened his mouth to give her his answer,

"I-" He faltered, narrowing his eyes slightly in embarrassment, nervousness and annoyance. He groaned and shot his eyes back to hers. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, Ichiko flinched away, a sudden fear in her eyes and shot them in the opposite direction trying to find something, anything, to focus on instead of the tense atmosphere starting to hang thick in the air.

Rui grit his teeth as he watched the girl shy away from his feelings. He was trying to tell her how he felt through his eyes, but she was trying desperately to look at anything other than him.

"Look at me! I'm trying to tell you how I feel!"

Jumping at his raised voice, Ichiko snapped her eyes to his face once again and parted her lips to speak,

"_Run away."_

Ichiko's eyes widened in shock as the words echoed in her head. Closing her eyes in distress, she inched a shaky hand her face to cover it as she tried to make sense of why she was suddenly so terrified to learn his feelings.

Hurt spread across Rui's face and he drew back slightly as he watched the girl in front of him. Guessing she didn't feel the same way he did for her, he lowered his gaze, bowed his head and whispered 'I see' before turning swiftly around, pulling his cape with him, and walked away.

Lifting her head too late, she watched the retreating figure of the man she desired and clasped her hand to her mouth, covering it to try and stop the sobs from escaping her lips. Realizing why she was so afraid of his confession, her feet took off towards him. It wasn't that she didn't love him, it was the complete opposite. It was the fact that, because she desired him so much that she let the embarrassing side of her show; she was terrified he would hate it and then change his mind about her.

It seemed so obvious, as her hand stretched out to try and reach his lithe form, that he would be the only person who would ever fully love everything about her. It scared her that, because of her own stupid insecurities, she might have lost the most important person to her in the whole world.

As she caught up to him, she took a deep breath and shouted as loud as her voice would allow,

"Rui! I love you!"


End file.
